Operating device for car couplers



Nov. zo, 1923 mmf/9@ V. E. SISSON OPERATING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLER FiledJan. 27. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet l ,.U enfor- Nov. 20 1923 V. E. SISSONOPERATING DEVlCE FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed Jan. 27. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Nov.. Ztl, 1923..

ariane entrant italica.

VINTON-E. SISSON, G35' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WALTER l.AIVllIRIHY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OPERATING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS.

Application filed January 27, 1920. Serial No. 354,450.

To @ZZ @o 700m t m concern Be itl known that I, 'VrNroN E. SrssoN,

a citizen ot the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and uset'ulImprovements in Operating Devices for Car Couplers, of which' theJfollowing is a specification.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective l@ view of the end ot' a carstructure, broken away, with my invention applied thereto.

Figure@ is a front elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line` 3--3 :Figure 2through the levers and their connections.

Figure 4: top plan view of Figure 2.

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrammatical views.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the hand lever, one end being brokenaway.

Since the adoption of the new M. C. B. coupler, which is materiallyheavier than the couplers heretofore in use, it has been found necessaryto increase'the power in someA types of levers,- orwoperating .devicesfor car couplers. Many experiments have been made with this end in viewbut, in view of the fact that the Federal regulations prohibit the outerend otl the operating lever from coming nearer than 17 `or 18 inchesfrom ythe top of the rail, it will be understood thatmany difficultieshad to be vsurmounted to obtain` the' increasedleverage and at the-sametime keep within the. `limits describedv byi the Federal regulations.

`The objects of my invention are to soconstruct and mount the members ofthe release rigging that any desired lifting ypower may be `obtained tooperate the coupler.

'A further object of myinventionis to so mount the membersbtgtheoperating device relatively to. eachother so as to prevent an abnormalupward movement of the inner, or pin operating lever, whereby injury tothe operator is prevented in case of a broken coupler mechanism.

A further object of my invention is to so relatively mount and engagethe levers of the rigging to prevent an abnormal downward movement ofthe hand opera-ting lever whereby the operating lever is prevented fromcoming closer to the rail than the distance allowed by law.

A further object of my invention is to relatively locate the fulcrums ofthe two levers and construct the inner end vof the hand operating .leverin such a manner as to limit the downward movement of the pin lever incase otv a broken coupler head or carry iron, whereby the operatingdevice will support the coupler and prevent it from falling on the trackand causing derailment.

A further object of my invention isA to so locate the fulcrum points ofthetwo levers and their operative connection so as to reduce therelative motion between the two levers at their lolierative connectionto a minimum thereby reducing the 'friction between the workingpartsgandwith `these and other objects in viewv my invention consists ofthe parts and combinationot parts as will be hereinafter more fully setforth.

The reference numeral-1 designates a car structure, 2 a coupler and 3the .coupler lock pin all of which may be of any approved construction.

The hand' operating lever tof my irnproved operating `device is 4of suchconstruction that when mounted on acar the outer end portionsags-downwardly whereby it isA adapted to beV engaged and operated bythe hand or'foot of trainman. The hand or outer operating`- lever isdeflected `upwardly as .at 5` and forwardly as at@ at its inner end,`the`portion 6 extending in the same vertical plane as the main bodyportionl of `the lever. lThis inner end ot the leverde isprovidedwith`an 'opening 7 tor a fulcrum pinB, andwith a tulcrum pin 9 for the innerpin lever. At the juncture of the extension 5 andythe lever e, I form aroundedl bearing -10\which.will be hereinafter referred to.

The inner or 4pin liftingV lcverglQ has a lreduced .inner end;13 whichisiv adapted to freely slide in the eye of the coupler lock pin 8 toaccommodate service movements of the coupler without imposing strainupon the parts; said portion terminating in hook 14 which preventsaccidental disengagement of the lever from the lock pin. The pin lever12 is pivoted at its outer end on a pin 15. The pin operating lever 12is provided substantially near its fulcrum pin 15 with an elongated slot17 through which the pin 9 on the inner end of the lever t projects,said pin 9 bein provided at its outer end with an upward y extendinghook 18 to prevent the lever 12 from falling to the track in the eventthat it becomes disengaged from its pivot pin 15.

It will be'notecl from the drawing that the fulcrum pins 8, 9, and 15are positioned in the same longitudinal plane. rIhis is shown moreclearly in Figure 5. The object of this disposition of these pins is toin-` crease leverage and at the same time Yreduce friction. By reason ofthis disposition of these pins the pin 9 is required to move a shorterdistance in the slot 1T of the lever 12 to obtain the required elevationof the inner end of the pin lifting lever to move the lock pin A 12 inchmovement of the end of the hand lever l will raise the coupler lock pin3, through the lever 12, seven and one quarte-r inches `and downwardpressure of approximately one hundred pounds on the hand lever gives 165pounds upward pressure on the coupler lorlr. Of course any desiredpower,` or travel, can be obtained by adjusting the relative position ofthe fulcrum pins. The movement of the pin 9 in the slot 17 of the pinlever 12 is less than one quarter inch, as a result of loca-ting 'thepins 8, 9, and 15 in the same, or substantially the same, longitudinalplane. This limited movement is vof importance as it reduces thefriction bet-ween the two levers to a minimum.

The pin and slot connection between the 'two levers limits the upwardmovement of the pin lever 12, thereby preventing injury to the operatorin case of the pin lever 12 becoming broken. This pin and slotconnection also limits the downward movement of the hand lever wherebythe outer end of the hand lever is prevented from coming closer to therail than is allowed by law.

The location of the two fulcrum pins 15 and 8 and the peculiar formationof the inner end of the hand lever l1 limits the downward movement ofthe pin lever 12 in this wise; in case of broken coupler head or carryiron the weight of the coupler is thrown on the uncoupling leverswhereby the coupler is prevented from falling on the track which wouldresult in derailment. Under such conditions the pin lifting lever willmove downward at its inner end until the bearing 10 of the hand lever 4;engages with the fulcrum 15, therebypreventing the inner end of the pinlever 12 moving any further downward, the pin 15 acting as a stop toprevent further upward movement of the hand lever while the pin 9prevents further downward movement of the pin lever 12.

llVhat I claim is 1. In a release rigging for car couplers, thecombination with a pin lifting lever pivotally mounted at its outer endto a car, and a hand operating lever pivotally mounted intermediate itsends to a car at a point intermediate the coupler and the pivot of thepin lever, whereby the pivot of the pin lever acts as a stop to limitthe upward movement of the hand lever, and an operative connectionbetween said levers.

2. Ina release rigging for car couplers, the combination with a pinlifting lever pivotallyi mounted at its outer end to a car, and anoperating lever pivotally mounted in termediate its ends to a car, andan operative connection between the two levers, one of said pivotsfunctioning as a stop to limit the movement of said levers in the eventof the breaking of the coupler supporting element; whereby the coupleris prevented from falling to the track.

3. In a release rigging for car couplers, the combination with anoperating lever, of the pin lifting lever fulcrumed on the car, andslidably connected to the operating lever, the fulcrum of the operatinglever being positioned between the fulcrum of the pin lever andtheconnection between the levers, the device having both fulcrums andconnection between the two levers in the same horizontal plane.

4. In a release rigging for car couplers, a pin lifting lever fulcrumedto the car, an operating lever fulcrumed to the car and loosely attachedto the pin lifting lever, and so positioned that the fulcrum ofthe pinlifting lever limits the movement of the outer end of the operatinglever, and the connection to the pin lifting lever limits the movementof the inner end of the .operating lever, the device having thetwo-fulcrums and the connection between the levers all in the samehorizontal lane.

VINTO E. SISSON.

